Small Town Romance

Product Description:

Solo performer: Richard Thompson (vocals, acoustic guitar).

Engineers: David Vanderheyden, Ilana Pelzig, Edward Haber.

Recorded live at The Bottom Line, New York, New York on January 8, 1982 and Folk City, New York, New York on September 29 & 30, 1982.

Thompson had recently split up with his wife/singing partner Linda and was busy redefining himself as a solo performer when SMALL TOWN ROMANCE was recorded in 1982. These solo acoustic performances, captured at two legendary NYC folk-friendly venues (Folk City and the Bottom Line), lay bare the basic ingredients of Thompson's instrumental and compositional genius. SMALL TOWN ROMANCE contains mostly tunes from the Richard & Linda days, but our boy's solo takes on tunes like "Down Where the Drunkards Roll" and "A Heart Needs a Home" are satisfyingly poignant and assured. The tragically romantic title tune and the catchy, clever "Love is Bad for Business" point the way towards Thompson's future, though they curiously never found a home on a proper studio album.